Close to finishing the novel edit. Received the next chapter of the nonfiction book I’m co-authoring with a homicide detective, so should be able to move forward on that shortly.
Book Review: The Rose Code – Kate Quinn
Historical 4-/5
Osla and two friends work at Bletchley Park during World War II breaking codes and managing their love lives and relationships with others—and hunting down a spy. I was a bit disappointed with this book because I so adored The Alice Network, and this one, though expertly written, felt unfocussed. The spy plot was too thin and seemed artificially propped up by Beth’s unfounded incarceration for madness and an unreasonable vendetta sparked by Mab. Altogether, there was a lot of cool stuff about how codes were broken at Bletchley, and a lot of time spent on girls living their lives, but not a lot of story.
Book Launch: Gathering of Ghosts
My productivity was inhibited by my son’s emergency retinal detachment surgery this week, as well as the follow-up appointments and eye drops, but I did teach a class and do the Calgary book launch for my most recent title. Also, I signed up to attend ICFA as an invited creative (I’ve never been before, but people tell me it is excellent) and was accepted. YAY! Also did some editing on my novel.
Book Review: Washington Black by Edi Edugyan
Literary 4/5
Washington, a young Barbadian slave, is bound to an eccentric white scientist who increases Washington’s value to himself by educating him, until they are parted and Washington must make his own way in the world. This Giller-prize winner was a great read. I particularly enjoyed the characters and their relationships, though I found the second half of the book wandered.
Editing and writing
Did a client meeting and will possibly do a stylistic edit next, but it may be a while before I see the ms. Had another lovely 1-day retreat with writerly friends and dinner out with them. Fun, productive, and relaxing.